Editor’s Update: On April 14, 2026, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt dismissed the indictment against Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez or, alternatively, acquitted him, and ordered him released. This article reflected the status of the case at the time of its original publication in December 2025.
A jury convicted a Houston-area businessman of bribing Mexican officials in exchange for $2.5 million in contracts.
Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez, 46, allegedly paid more than $150,000 in kickbacks to Mexican officials at the state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) and PEMEX Exploración y Producción (PEP), according to a release from the Department of Justice. In exchange, they reportedly offered at least $2.5 million in favorable deals and contracts.
Rovirosa is a Mexican national and a legal permanent resident of the Houston-area suburb The Woodlands.
“Most individuals applying for American citizenship treat our laws and customs with respect,” said FBI-Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams in the release. “Rovirosa instead violated U.S. laws through a network of corruption and deceit.”
The suspect was convicted on December 5 for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and for two counts of violating the act. The jury found Rovirosa not guilty of another violation. Still, he could face up to 15 years in federal prison.
“Rovirosa believed his residence in Houston protected him from the consequences of bribing foreign officials,” Williams said. “His scheme not only cost him a luxurious Texas lifestyle, but also his freedom.”
From 2019 to 2021, Rovirosa and his “co-conspirators” reportedly offered and paid bribes – including cash, luxury goods, and other valuable items – to at least three officials from PEMEX and PEP, according to the release. In exchange, they helped him secure at least $2.5 million in contracts and deals.
ICE-Homeland Security Investigations, FBI-Houston, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General are investigating this case, according to the release.
FDIC OIG Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Pittano applauded the conviction, saying it held Rovirosa accountable for his actions. He said the office is “committed” to investigating financial crimes like bribery and corruption.
Acting Asst. Attorney General Matthew Galeotti, of the DOJ Criminal Division, said Rovirosa used bribery to “benefit himself and his companies.”
“Bribery of government officials to win business undermines fair competition and unjustly enriches bad actors,” Galeotti said in the release. “We will not tolerate bribery and corruption schemes run out of the United States, whether the bribes are paid here or abroad.”
Law enforcement arrested Rovirosa in August, and he was released after posting $1 million bail, as The Dallas Express reported. He initially pleaded not guilty.
One of Rovirosa’s co-conspirators, 61-year-old Mario Alberto Avila Lizarraga, was still a fugitive at the time of publication.
Avila is a Mexican national and a legal permanent resident of Spring. As The Dallas Express reported, he has been on the run since before Rovirosa’s arrest in August.
PEMEX is a major player in Mexico’s economy, as one of the nation’s largest employers and a major contributor to tax revenue. It is also a major target for thieves – who bribe officials, illegally tap pipelines, and hijack trucks to steal oil.
Mexican brokers and smugglers then traffic the oil into America, often mislabeling it as “waste oil” or hazardous substances, according to the Department of the Treasury. They sell it to American importers near the Mexican border, who turn and sell it at a sharp discount – then pay profits back to cartels in Mexico. The cartels have recently become more involved in fuel theft.
In May, federal officials charged a father and son who ran a South Texas oil business with aiding the violent “Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación,” as The Dallas Express reported at the time. They allegedly funneled oil into America and paid more than $47 million to Mexican businesses with ties to the cartel.
Rovirosa was later acquitted in the case. In an April 14, 2026, order, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt dismissed the indictment or, alternatively, acquitted Rovirosa and ordered him released.
